It's the morning after my journey from the Andes to Ireland. Four planes, a 12 hour transatlantic flight, 7 hour time difference, 11k foot altitude change, 3 countries, complete culture shock, all after battling altitude sickness + food poisoning.
How do I recover to be so productive when I land? Here's how:
1) Coffee. Max two (big) cups daily. Try not to overdue it here. Coffee can have a half life that last between 3 and 8 hours depending on the person. This means no more afternoon cups.
Yes, I'm sponsored by Bulletproof, so this means travel sized coconut oil or MCT oil and grassfed butter to feed my brains the healthy fats it needs to operate at full force.
When I really feel like I need that late afternoon cup, I do a quick microworkout. This could be 5 minutes of yoga, air squats, lunges, pushups, or just a walk outside to absorb some vitamin D from the sun. My body is usually saying "stop staring at the computer" and I need to listen.
2) Water. Be that guy on the plane. Get up. Stretch. Keep the blood flowing and go ask for more water. Tell them you are dehydrated (everyone is!) and they'll take you more seriously. Add a little salt... Himalayan sea salt if you are a freak. Get these micro-nutrients back into your system. Your body is most likely deprived.
3) Compression. Everyone knows your blood doesn't flow where it needs to on a plane. If you are recovering from workouts or just want to keep from tightening up, get compression socks, shorts, or pants.
Fellas, you don't know what the ladies have been hiding from us when it comes to yoga pants. Get some.
4) Airplane food, or Lack Of. Come on, just don't eat it. Read up on intermittent fasting or bring your own food.
Fine, I'll admit I ate the protein (packed w preservatives, hormones and antibiotics most likely) but pick your poison. I felt a slight scratch in my throat yesterday, so I did NOT need the carbs or gluten. It's just going turn to sugar which hurts your immune system.
5) Dark Chocolate. Yes, skip the airplane food and gorge yourself on CHOCOLATE!! But not just any of course... Every country I go to I buy the best dark chocolate money can buy from duty free.
80%+ cocoa or better, packed with antioxidants and good fats which are straight brainfood. 50g of dark chocolate has just a few grams of sugar.
Skip the orange juice as it's packed with sugar and opt for....
6) Vitamin C. The Mayo Clinic says you can take a couple grams per day. Since I was in three countries yesterday my immune needs it. That's a shitload of germs don't you think??
7) Supplements. Okay I'm not a doctor so I don't overdo it here. Vitamin B gets me going every morning. I don't take it on the plane, pre-sleep or pre-meditation. I don't need the slightest chance of a buzz but it's proven to make your brain work better.
Land off a red-eye? Chug your water and pop these bad boys. The only other thing I take religiously is Magnesium before bed to improve sleep. Have your bedtime ritual and do it on the plane to trick your body into sleepy time.
8) Sleeping pills. Yeah... no. I'm anti-drug so I'm not gonna support anyone's Xanax habit or the pharmaceutical companies who profit from it (just look how it's spelled, that's pure marketing).
But I will trick my body into thinking it's time to sleep with melatonin. It's a naturally produced hormone in your body that regulates your circadian rhythm. Again, it's a hormone so I don't take it too often, but I will break one in half and take .5 mg on a redeye and the first night of jetlag.
9) Snacks on Snacks on Snacks. Yeah, I eat dark chocolate and yes, it makes me popular with the ladies. Since our travel company Under30Experiences is like grown up summer camp, I always have this stuff on hand. Think easy to pack: almonds, mixed nuts, dark chocolate, Bulletproof bars and yes, I even will do a spoonful of coconut oil or two throughout the day.
10) Meditation. I took off at 11:45 am in Lima, they fed us, and they told us to go to sleep... not happening.
What's neurologically proven to put your brain waves into deeper levels than sleep? Meditation. My combo: Bose Noise Canceling Headphones x Holosync Technology. Dave Asprey finds 1hr of meditation can replace 2hrs of sleep. If you sleep on your right hand side, always choose the right hand window seat.
11) Other assorted weird habits you should try too!
-Ashtanga yoga sequence with no mat required
-Organic green tea bags-- just ask the flight attendant for hot water
-Reset your body with a high intensity workout upon landing
-Try out a float tank / sensory deprivation chamber
-Breathing practices like pranayama or the Wim Hof method
In closing, it's time we started doing more good stuff in real life and less crap. Which means, it's time we started eating more good stuff in real life and less crap.
Safe travels and happy productivity!